Page 18 of Diesel’s Second Chance

"Yeah." I turn to face him. "What's the intel?"

"Wait for church. Want everyone to hear it once." He studies my face for a beat longer than comfortable, and I wonder what he's seeing. "You look like shit."

"Didn't sleep much."

"Storm keep you up?"

"Something like that."

Phoenix doesn't push, just claps me on the shoulder and moves toward the chapel. "Five minutes. Get some coffee in you."

I do, though it doesn't help. My mind keeps circling back to June's note, to the kiss, to the way she looked at me in candlelight before everything went sideways.

*I'll call you when I'm ready.*

How long is that? A day? A week? A month? And what do I do in the meantime? Just sit here and wait for her to decide if loving me is worth the guilt?

"You look like you got hit by a truck." Canvas appears beside me, limping slightly. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"That's convincing." He pours himself coffee, leans against the counter. "We've all been where you are, brother. Whatever it is, it gets easier."

"Does it?"

Canvas grins. "No. But you learn to live with it."

Not exactly reassuring, but I appreciate the effort.

The chapel door opens and Phoenix waves everyone in. I follow the brothers, take my usual seat near the middle of the long table. Phoenix sits at the head, Judge to his right. Saint's across from me looking like he hasn't slept in days. The rest of the patched members fill in around us.

Phoenix bangs his fist on the table once. "Church is open. What's said here stays here."

Everyone nods.

"Saint, you're up."

Saint leans forward, elbows on the table. "Got a call last night from an old friend. Someone still deep in the Vipers, someone who owes me."

"How deep?" Brick asks.

"Deep enough to know where Demon's hiding." Saint's voice is flat, emotionless. "And willing to give up the location."

The room goes dead silent.

"Demon's losing it," Judge adds. "Killing his own men, getting paranoid, making moves that don't make tactical sense. He's desperate, and his own people are noticing it."

"Which makes him more dangerous," Phoenix says. "Desperate men do stupid things. But it also means he's vulnerable. If we move fast, we can end this before he regroups."

"What's the location?" Ranger asks.

Saint pulls out his phone, brings up a map, slides it across the table. "Abandoned industrial site outside Redfield. About ninety minutes from here. Three buildings, all connected. My contact says Demon's got maybe fifteen to twenty guys with him."

"How reliable is this intel?" I ask.

Saint meets my eyes. "Reliable enough that I'm willing to bet my life on it."

"How many you willing to bet?" Phoenix asks Saint directly. "Because if we ride out there and it's a trap, we're all dead."